Buzz Magazine: May 4, 2006

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100 ARTISTS IN ONE PLACE

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UNITED 93: IS AMERICA READY?

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SYPHILIS OUTBREAK IN CHAMPAIGN

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no.17

Cover Design • Brittany Bindrim Editor in chief • Erin Scottberg Art Director • Brittany Bindrim Copy Chief • Sara Sandock Listen, Hear • Anna Statham Stage, Screen & in Between • Elyse Russo Around Town • Lianne Zhang CU Calendar • Todd Swiss Photography Editor • Austin Happel Designers • Claire Napier, Nikita Sorokin, Allie Armstrong Calendar Coordinator • Brian McGovern Photography • Austin Happel Copy Editors • Sarah Goebel, Ruth McCormack, Meghan Whalen, Dan Petrella Staff Writers • Paul Prikazsky, Tatyana Safronova, Syd Slobodnik, Todd J. Hunter Contributing Writers • Michael Coulter, Seth Fein Production Manager • Rick Wiltfong Sales Manager • Mark Nattier Marketing/Distribution • Brandi Wills Publisher • Mary Cory

TALK TO BUZZ e-mail: buzz@readbuzz.com write: 57 E. Green St. Champaign, IL 61820 call: 217.337.3801 We reserve the right to edit submissions. Buzz will not publish a letter without the verbal consent of the writer prior to publication date. Buzz magazine is a student-run publication of Illini Media Company and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of the University of Illinois administration, faculty or students. First copy of Buzz is FREE, each additional copy is $.50 Š Illini Media Company 2005

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UNDER THE COVER |1-3| 3 3 3 |4-7| 4 6 7 | 8 - 11 | 8 10 11

INTRO This Modern World • Tom Tomorrow Life in Hell • Matt Groening First Things First • Michael Coulter

AROUND TOWN Making Space: Discovering Immersive Art • Lianne Zhang In Your Words with Aaron Hughes The Local Sniff • Seth Fein

LISTEN, HEAR Nothing for Design, Everything for Art • Anna Statham Album reviews Soundground #124 • Todd J. Hunter

| 12 - 13 |

CU CALENDAR

| 14 - 19 |

STAGE, SCREEN & IN BETWEEN

14 15 16 18

Art Imitating Life Imitating Art • Meghan Whalen Artist’s Corner with Carlos Fernandez Movie Reviews Point and Counterpoint: United 93

| 20 |

CLASSIFIEDS

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THE STINGER

21 21 22 23

Doin it Well • Kim Rice & Kate Ruin Jonesin’ Crosswords • Matt Gaffney Free Will Astrology Likes and Gripes

erin scottberg EDITOR’S NOTE

W

FORMALS

"ANQUET

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hen I was little, I thought that all create teachers were ice d for y ub y drivers in the cream otruck summer. It made per fect sense in my 5-year-old mind — teachers had to make ends meet during their off-months somehow, and what could be better creativthan driving around in a truck ewoTacos, chock-full of Choco rker ice cream sandwiches and those baseball glove bars with the gum ball baseball in the middle? Yeah, hearing The Entertainer over and over again would surely grow old, but being the coolest adult ever to hundreds of children definitely wouldn’t. And if you like teaching, you obviously liked kids, so the job would be a perfect fit. Eventually I realized that none of my friends had the Ice Cream Man for a teacher. In fact, he wasn’t a teacher at all — he was actually kinda creepy and very impatient — we were putting his kids through college, he could at least wait silently while we got our money out of our pockets. Even now, if I think I hear even the faintest note of those electronic chimes now, my ears perk up and my hearing goes into overdrive to determine whether it’s the real thing or a false alarm. Unfortunately, it’s usually the latter. I don’t see many ice cream trucks anymore. I guess the Ice Cream Man doesn’t see Campustown and its surrounding neighborhoods as lucrative business districts. I disagree. First, you’re never too old to enjoy a treat from the Ice Cream Man. Second, when a college-age kid hears the Ice Cream Truck coming, all she has to do is reach for her money and wait for the ice cream man to arrive — no scrambling for Mommy or Daddy

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and begging for change. Anyway, what about the children who live in neighborhoods that are predominantly student-housing? Are they screwed because their parents decided to put up with loud, drunk neighbors for a less expensive home? Rough deal, kid. There are so many ways to make money off college students — if Insomnia Cookies can make it, I see no reason why a business-savvy Ice Cream Man (or woman) couldn’t. Here’s your route: do the first sweep of off-campus neighborhoods in the early afternoon to get the preschool and kindergarten customers after lunch but before their naps. Next, from 2 to 7 p.m. hit up the high school areas and Campustown, with an addition re-sweep of the earlier neighborhoods just to be safe. After nightfall, cruise the neighborhoods of college kids that surround Campustown for a few hours. Be persistent, these kids stay out late and many don’t emerge from their homes until 10 or 11 p.m. — but do not doubt them, they will purchase your sweets. The most profitable hour for an Ice Cream Man might actually be from 2-3 a.m., right after the bars close. Drunk kids will eat anything. And pay more for it. I’m sure an inebriated 21-year-old will pay $1.50 for a piece of his childhood (also known as an orange Flintstones Push-Up) that you sold to a 7-year-old for 75 cents 12 hours earlier. That’s a 100 percent mark-up of pure profit! Really though, most teachers are underpaid and under-appreciated. I don’t see why they wouldn’t enjoy making some extra cash in the summer doing what is quite possible the most appreciated job ever. sounds from the scene

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buzz weekly •

HOW ARE ALL MY LITTLE FRIENDS, WITH THEIR LITTLE DREAMS?

3

michael coulter FIRST THINGS FIRST

Buddhas on a dashboard

Hearing my own voice as I yell at asshole drivers is satisfaction enough.

A few years ago, my Chinese friend Eddie gave me a little plastic yellow Buddha to stick to the dash of my car. Apparently, Eddie felt I was a bit aggressive when I d rove a nd th is wa s supposed to calm m y c r a n k y a s s d ow n j u s t a l i t t l e . I t was a fine effort on his part, but all it really did was make me think of Eddie, not serenity. No joking, the resemblance is almost creepy. I didn’t feel it was a problem to begin with. I don’t drive like a crazed idiot, I only scream like one. Seriously, I drive like an old man now, possibly because I am an old man, but still, I’ve driven like this for years. I tend to side with the old “slow and steady wins the race” adage over the “holy crap, I’m gonna drive really fast, then really slow, then like a moron” philosophy. I’ve never really understood the joy of getting my car up to 50 miles per hour between stop signs that are 50 yards apart and then slamming on the brakes. I have, however, understood the joy of yelling at someone else for doing it. I understand why Eddie assumed I was being aggressive, but I generally manage to contain my hatred to the inside of my vehicle, so it seems like less of a problem to me. I would never consider chasing someone until they pulled over so I could give them an ass-chewing face to face. Instead, I will simply yell at them from my enclosed car. Sure, I may continue to berate them long after they’re out of ear shot, but chasing them down, that just seems ridiculous. It’s the same way with firearms. I can understand shooting a gun at someone who has cut a person off in traffic. I don’t condone it, but I completely understand it. Still, you can’t just go around shooting people, even if they deserve it. I mean, I wouldn’t even have time for an actual job outside of “thinning the herd” if I chose that path. Sure, violence may be the simple answer, but cursing another under your breath is where true satisfaction comes from. Lately it seems as though I’m yelling the same thing over and over again to the same people. “Hey, you fucking nimrod, get off your cell phone and learn to fucking drive.” I also tend to point out that, while it is ok to make a right hand turn if you have a red light, it is only supposed to be after you’re sure no one else is coming in the same path. It is in no way mandatory and there is

no time limit on the turn. The law wasn’t enacted because enough people weren’t pulling in front of enough people, so let’s not pretend it was. In a recent survey by Direct Line, a British insurance company, they asked 2,370 drivers what put them in a rage the most. I know if I was in Britain my biggest complaint would be that those dumbasses were driving on the wrong side of the road, but for some reason that didn’t come up in this survey. It was instead your usual list of obviousness. They found that tailgating was what pissed off folks the most. Now I’ll admit that if I’m peeing in a public restroom I find tailgating to be a huge (and creepy) problem, but it doesn’t bother me that much on the road. I would be more than thrilled if a tailgater smashed the piss out of my car as I’m fairly sure the insurance money would be far greater than the trade-in value. They also hated lane hogging. That must be a British thing, because I’m not even sure what the hell it is. I mean, your lane is your lane, right. Otherwise, the problem is not staying in the proper lane. Failing to signal was another big problem. I at least understand that one. It’s just a lack of caring and/or concentration. I would bet that most folks use more care when they are cooking dinner than they do when they are driving, even though people die all the time in traffic accidents and very few meet their maker while fixing supper. Those British also hate it when people drive too slowly. Man, they would probably hate me. In my defense, I don’t drive too slowly. I merely drive the speed limit. See that isn’t too slow, it is supposed to be the limit, the maximum speed you’re supposed to be driving. Oh, I may get all devil may care and kick it up to 70 mph on the interstate, but in town, my rule-following bitch ass is by the book. I don’t really care if others speed, so long as they don’t speed into the side of my car and cripple me in some way. Back in the States, we seem much more aggressive, that’s just our nature. Let’s face it, we pretty much hate the way anyone besides ourselves drives. I’m not sure there’s a solution other than relaxing a little and trying not to kill each other. I suppose we could all go out and buy a dashboard Buddha. It won’t help the rage, but at least there’s a certain pleasure in thinking of my friend Eddie as you shout profanities at a stranger.

OOPS! WE MADE A MISTAKE • As one insightful reader pointed out, in last week’s Likes and Gripes: “Brittany Bindrim refers to

her dislike of ‘Canadian geese.’ Assuming that she was refering to their species rather than their nationality, they are properly called canada geese.” Thanks Scott, for setting us straight.

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around town

MAKING SPACE DISCOVERING IMMERSIVE ART LIANNE ZHANG • AROUND TOWN EDITOR

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ou are immersed in a thick, green pasture filled with Institute. The exhibition, serves as the genesis of what is expected vibrant flowers, abundant trees, and bumblebees. to be a series of curated exhibitions at KAM. Hank Kaczmarski, In the distance, bundles of black and gray triangular the director of the Integrated System Labs; Rose Marshack, visshapes give the illusion of mountains. To your iting art and technical integration specialist; and George right is a brick house with windows drawn on Francis, an Illinois professor of mathematics, crookedly. The bold child-like crayon strokes look freshly made are the co-curators of the exhibit. and although the space is 3-D, the artwork is 2-D and resembles paper cut-outs of child-like drawings. You begin to wonder if you are dreaming, but this is virtual reality that you have never experienced before. You have literally stepped into someone else’s artwork. Get ready for the seemingly impossible. Get ready for immersive art. Mathematics and art have come together at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE), was pioneered at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1992 by several virtual reality experimenters, Carolina Cruz-Neira, Tom DeFanti, and Dan Sandin. Fourteen years later, it has spawned a new generation of what is known as “virtual reality art” or “immersive art.” The CAV E is located in Beck man Institute, 405 North Mathews Ave. in Urbana. The CAVE is a room-sized virtual reality space and is meant to immerse the audience physically, as well as optically. There are three walls made of a f lexible screen with plywood, arranged in an upside down U-shape around the viewer — engulfing them from the front, left and right sides. On the ceiling is a mirror that ref lects images caught by the projector onto the ground. There are four projectors in all, one to reflect and transmit images onto each surface within the CAVE. The UI is currently home to the world’s largest collection of immersive art. The UI IM AG ES boasts one CUBE , three CAVES , and six CO UR Immersedesks (portable, one-walled versions TE SY OF of the CAVE). TH EB The CUBE , located inside Beckman Institute, is the EC KM AN “granddaddy” of the virtual art realm, serving as the next INS TIT generation of the CAVE. The CUBE is what is known as a fully UT E. immersive space — swallowing the viewer inside a literal cube of virtual reality. There are four walls, a ceiling and a floor, all made of optical-grade acrylic. It takes six projectors, one directed Out of the various immersive spaces at each surface, for the CUBE to work successfully. the most advanced Buried in the basement of the University Krannert Art Museum, available, the CUBE is Viewers remove their 500 E. Peabody Drive in Champaign, is the Collaborative Advanced immersive space in the world. Navigation Virtual Art Studio (CANVAS). CANVAS is smaller than shoes, step inside the CUBE , and close the door behind them. the CUBE or the CAVE, and is an open-to-the public showcase of They are then completely engulfed in the world of virtual reality. immersive art. CANVAS provides space for a new 3-D exhibition The CUBE is controlled by 25 computers. A single CUBE requires called “Calcuart.” Calcuart opened on March 9, as a collaboration millions of dollars in equipment to operate. Viewers strap on what between KAM and the Integrated System Laboratory at Beckman is called a “backpack” — a small, square-shaped motion sensor, INTRO | A ROUND TOWN | L ISTEN, HEAR | CU CALENDAR | STAGE, S CREEN &

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pop on some 3-D enhancing electronic shutter glasses (which are attached to a wire that hooks to the backpack and is able to track the movement of each eye). A mini Palm Pilot look-alike serves as a hand-held computer, and allows the viewer to control the various programs without having to run in and out of the CUBE. Equipped with these three essentials, the viewer is able to begin experiencing immersive art to its fullest capacity. Marshack said that with Calcuart, the curators hoped to prove to the public that almost anything can be construed as art. “Heck, you can even make walking into a form of art,” she said. “I took an art class as an elective and accidently stumbled upon the Calcuart exhibit,” senior Bill El-Hinnaway said. “I thought it was a video game, with the 3-D glasses and the PS2 joystick, but it was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.” According to a recent article in the News-Gazette, the CANVAS system is meant to integrate various mathematical and art designs, in hopes that systems like CANVAS “could be as revolutionary as portable video cameras were to the development of video art.” It was ex-Chancellor Nancy Cantor’s vision to merge science and art at the University. According to Kaczmarski, Cantor’s goal was to create an arts and technology intensive world at the university. Much of the initial funding for these immersive art spaces came from the generous donations of two alumni. Dean E. Madden (class of 1943) and Marilynn A. Madden (class of 1944) formed the Madden Initiative in Technology, Arts, and Culture. According to the Final Report of the Silicon, Carbon, Culture Initiative, an experiment conducted from fall 2002-2003, the Madden Initiative’s ultimate goal was to “create a meeting point for interdisciplinary engagement between the sciences, technology disciplines, humanities, social sciences, and arts to explore the importance of technology to culture and society and the University as an institution of learning.” These immersive art spaces are operated by a free downloadable program called Syzygy (www.isl.uiuc.edu.) Syzygy was developed by a previous University Beckman research programmer, Ben Schaeffer. Syzygy has enabled the creation of virtual art to be less expensive and more accessible to the general public. Now, virtual art spaces can be created by a mere six or seven inexpensive computers (as opposed to numerous old-fashioned multi-million dollar Onyx 2 computers), working simultaneously with each other. A few seconds into one of these virtual immersive spaces, and one will understand the powerful way this new space has and will revolutionize the future. sounds from the scene

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I SOLD MY HOUSE THIS WEEK. I GOT A PRETTY GOOD PRICE FOR IT, BUT IT MADE MY LANDLORD MAD AS HELL.

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IMAGES COURTESY OF THE BECKMAN INSTITUTE.

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This piece, “Sharks” by Rose Marshack, was displayed at the Calcuart exhibit at the Krannert Art Museum in March.

Worldwide, there are only about a dozen of these virtual immersive spaces. Among some of the homes to theses virtual reality spaces are Iowa State University, University of Illinois-Chicago, General Motors, and army research labs. “We have created a new forum in which both artists and scientists can play,” Kaczmarski said. Kathleen Harleman, the director of the Krannert Art Museum, is very supportive of KAM playing home to immersive art. “It is very uncommon to have this type of environment in a museum,” Harleman said. “In fact, we are the only art museum in the world to have an electronic gallery.” Harleman said that this project is unique, because it helps artists and mathematicians or scientists “translate into each other’s languages, while enabling advances for both sides.” “We’re taking great steps forward with the CANVAS and Calcuart project,” Harleman said. “You have the collaborative work of scientists, mathematicians, artists, and the rare people who excel in both areas, like Rose (Marshack).” Marshack’s primary involvement with these immersive art spaces is to create programs that will allow artistically focused, more scientifically-challenged individuals the opportunity to create works of art in more generic programs. As of now, the basic program language is C++. “As long as a person knows C++, and a little bit of OpenGL, and takes the time to read the instructions included with the Syzygy program online, they should be able to create basic artwork for these virtual spaces” Marshack said. To bring the mathematics world more in congruence with the art one, Marshack has invented t wo programs. One is cal led the Landspeeder. Work ing under urban plansounds from the scene

ning Professor Barkki George-Pallathucheril, Marshack developed Landspeeder as a data visualization of a large dataset intended for a 3 -D CAV E vir tual realm. Marshack also developed K A MS cr ipt, soft ware tools that not only enable, but successfully help nonprogramming artists create 3-D artwork in any CAVE setting. KAMS cript allows the placement of already-made jpegs, mp3s, and text files to be programmed and viewed in a CAVE . These revolutionary virtual arts are being made more available to both undergraduate and graduate students. Marshack is teaching ARTS 441: Programming for Artists. She teaches students how to properly learn the language used to encrypt CANVAS, CAVE , and CUBE . Next year, she hopes to teach an immersive art class. “Ou r [Un iver sit y] space is a teach i ng component as well as an exhibit component,” Kaczmarski said. “What we do here is not meant to be a static entertainment environment, but rather a constantly evolving space.” At the University, artists can create as many different visuals as they wish. “It is really the equivalent of an electronic gallery, a space where art is put in,” Kaczmarski said, “what’s really exciting is that it is at the beginning of a long revolutionary step towards creating spaces for artists to come in and create works of art, entirely independent of computer science knowledge.” These three virtual domains, CAVE , CUBE , a nd CA N VA S , have broug ht for t h a new generation of virtual reality for the student community. Biologists can step into the immersive art space, straight into a DNA model, and use it

to visualize the building blocks of life. Urban planners can use it to input and visualize future cities by receiving real satellite information. Architects can use it to see how a new building will work and what it will look like before it is anywhere near built. Psychologists can put people in an MRI machine, give them various tasks to perform, and actually walk into a subject’s brain to track their progress. Artists can create a fantasy world they will actually play in. One can play in a field of poppies, chase after virtual butterf lies and run away from virtual bees. A push forward on a joystick navigator allows viewers to virtually peer through a window, or walk into a house. A roller coaster ride can be simulated. A University dance student can (and did) have a dance-off with another dance student from UCLA , more than 2,000 miles away. One can swim in an underwater kingdom and spear sharks, or tour Venice, Rome, or even the Sistine Chapel. The possibilities are endless. As for the future, “well, that lies in the hands of the University,” Kaczmarski said. “We have no idea what it’s going to look like in the future. The people that are going to use it aren’t even around right now, but we hope that eventually, they will be the ones to further develop and challenge this initial idea of immersive art.” Although CANVAS will be a permanent fixture in the KAM, and viewers can experience Calcuart at their leisure, Beckman Institute has not yet opted to open the advanced CUBE spaces for the viewing of the general public. “I hope the new generation of artists will make use of these new artistic tools like no one else has before,” Kaczmarski said. “Bottom line, I envision things being accomplished that right now, I can’t even envision.” buzz

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IN

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AARON HUGHES

AUSTIN HAPPEL • PHOTO

WITH

Aaron Hughes stands in front of a painting from his exhibit “Dust Memories�. TATYANA SAFRONOVA

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USED TO HAVE MAD COW’S DISEASE, BUT I’M ALRIGHT NOOOOOOOOOW.

• STAFF WRITER

A

aron Hughes was a junior in industrial design at the University of Illinois when he was called to report to the National Guard Unit in North Riverside in Chicago on January 30, 2003. In April, after two-and-a-half months of training at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, Hughes flew to Arifjan, Kuwait with the 1244th Transportation

Company. There he spent one year, three months, and seven days — extended beyond the six months his company had originally expected to stay — hauling old M818 flat-bed tractor trailers full of supplies for contractors, the Marines, and for other units. Delivering generators, air conditioners, tents, watch towers, scud busters and personal supplies Hughes traveled from camps and ports to

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bases in Kuwait and on two to three week missions to bases in Iraq like Camp Anaconda, the Talil Airbase and Baghdad. After he returned to the University, Hughes became a painting major. With the nearly 200 photos he took in the Middle East with disposable cameras and his 35-milimeter Pentax camera that soon collected sand and stopped working, Hughes created over fifty artworks that hang on the walls of the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities building on 805 West Pennsylvania Avenue in Urbana until May 5. His photos included views from the M818 trucks, shots of the often-empty horizon, children begging for food on the side of road, and images of military machinery and of soldiers. Unlike the simplified portrayal of the war by the mass media — death counts and timelines of events — Hughes attempted to avoid narration with his art. Narrative, he said, is linear. “It creates absolutes and I don’t have one.� Instead, memory acts more like art, he said, with the “abstractions and complexities that are in images or in poetry too.� In a photo that became one of his two large oil paintings for the exhibit, number 52, Hughes and a sergeant posed in front of a burnt Humvee, only its charred metal frame remaining. Three soldiers died when the car was hit in an ambush. They died heroes you know. I got the photo to prove it / They burnt to death for us you know, Hughes wrote in a poem that accompanies the painting. “We were tourists,� he said. “We were taking pictures of everything. That’s messed up in a lot of ways.� In the other oil painting, number 53, Hughes posed against the barren desert background, tancolored sand splattered onto the canvas, a few fence

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posts sticking up like spikes out of the ground, and green brush peaking out from the horizon. The kneeling soldier, painted in black and white, in uniform and holding his gun, looks oblivious to the silhouettes of two Iraqi boys standing behind his shoulder. Ghost-like, the children are faceless, their figures blurred into the desert. “It was very huge disconnect between us and them,� Hughes said. A few of the camps were open to Iraqis who were there often selling souvenirs, cigarettes, alcohol, and food. But most of the time, the Iraqis and Americans remained separated. In “Do not stop ... ,� a charcoal and watercolor work, the order that was given to the soldier not to stop during an accident on the road depicts the most apparent, most unbearable, and even forced disconnect that existed between the soldiers and the Iraqis. The painting is a view from above of a soldier’s boot next to the body of a dead child, lying twisted on the ground with wideopen eyes. “Safwan is the city that you cross the border into, in Iraq,� Hughes said, “and I’d say there’s a convoy going through about every ten minutes, or less actually ... and these convoys have between 20 and 100 trucks in them. So that’s like between a quarter mile to two miles long convoys, and these trucks are huge trucks. And there’s a lot of kids on the road and ... it was really hard to control those kids. So there were some things that happened there with kids getting hit by trucks and stuff.� Keep the truck moving and don’t stop. Forget the kids! Hughes wrote in the poem that accompanied painting number 53. Now, now I can’t forget the kids. Damn kid. I’m not even there. Hundred thousand miles away and it’s still in my fucking head.

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We can do that. For your next planned event or weekend meal. E-mail Jim: Foudinis@hotmail.com sounds from the scene

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Attorneys at Law

How costly is the chief?

THE COST OF THE CHIEF Local sports columnist Loren Tate, to most people with both sides of their brain working, is simply a joke. He had a decent column in Sunday’s News-Gazette about what it would cost to retire the Chief — a current hot-button topic in our fair community as a result of the University’s appeal against the NCAA’s slapon-the-wrist punishment forbidding the school from hosting any kind of tournament And for good reason: Everyone has an opinion and even I will admit that most of those are valid despite my disbelief as to how someone could possibly consider the Chief ’s dance to be honorable. The issue here is money. The University needs to gauge how much money they will lose in funding from Alumni stuck on the notion that the school is as worthy as their mascot as opposed to how much they’d be sacrificing if they simply didn’t host any tournaments. The answer is simple. They will probably lose more money from the Alumni. At least initially. But again, this is just a distraction from the real issue at hand. The Ch ief is a R ACIST sy mbol. Ca se closed. There is no debate. I could go into the Jewish analogy again for you, but I don’t have the space. But here’s a thought for you: You know what was really cost-effective? Making all those Negroes work for nothing. Right? You remember? It was called Slavery! The white boys on the plantations saw the prof its roll in because they had no overhead costs. It made financial sense, but it irreparably harmed the psyche and spirit or our brothers and sisters from Africa, who lived in less than human conditions for hundreds of years. SEE, THAT’S NOT THE WAY IT SHOULD WORK. We shouldn’t do things simply based on what works financially. In the face of offending our fellow humans in the nation, “cost effective” shouldn’t even be in the lexicon. We shouldn’t determine how much worth an offensive mascot has based on its merit as a symbol of school spirit. It’s just plain ridiculous. The University might lose a pretty penny retiring the Chief. Big Fucking Deal. By righting a very, very wrong thing that we’ve done, we’re getting off cheap.

Concentrating In: Injury Cases Vehicle Accidents Death Cases Altercations Traffic/Criminal Defense Ordinance Violations Wills/Trusts/TAX Real Estate Transactions

Call

217-355-5510

And while you’re at it, could you just leave your dignity at the door, Mr. Blackhawk sir…

FIRST SNIFF I got lambasted in the Cowboy Monkey by a fella who said that I am not being angry enough in my columns. Evidently, I have been too apologetic to some of the people that I have potentially offended recently. Perhaps he’s right. So, fuck you. All of you.

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Torricelli & Limentato

seth fein THE LOCAL SNIFF

sounds from the scene

buzz weekly •

THE FRESHMEN BRING A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IN AND THE SENIORS TAKE NONE OUT, SO IT ACCUMULATES THROUGH THE YEARS.

OH, RIGHT. I FORGOT. And Loren Tate — you should be fucking ashamed of yourself. Putting dollar signs over people’s feelings and right to liberty is akin to asking that African-American at the desk across from you to work for free so that you and your white friends might reap the benefits. Yeah — that’s right. I just said Loren Tate has racist tendencies in his writing. But this is America and that’s my opinion. Sniff it, creep. You smell that? It’s called Justice.

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POMPOSITY AT IT’S FINEST I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the mid-festival reception for The Roger Ebert Film Festival on Friday night as a result of knowing people who know people. The food was excellent. The filmmakers, however, seemed to remind me of myself at my worst: arrogant, pompous and self-involved to the point where they could do nothing except nod their head and look around the room as they scoped out whether John Malkovich or Ebert himself was actually going to show. Neither of them did, and the f ilmmakers ended up leaving the party early, which cleared the crowd, and left me scratching my head and wondering: “If this is what fame is like, and if this is the kind of people it spawns, what’s the difference between trying to do anything with artistic merit and simply taking a shit?” But then I remembered that the Tractor Kings are playing at the Monkey this Friday, so I felt better as I recognized the difference. BAND OF THE WEEK This is not a band. No. Not by any means. But DJ Mertz has been true and loyal to a House Music scene that I don’t understand for over four years now. With his partner in crime, DJ J-Phlip, they have been doin’ it right for a while. Now that Mertzie is a free agent, you can find him spinning at a variety of different events all over our fair cities. I don’t get it, the dancing thing where people move that ass and chew on a fucking glowstick. No — I don’t get it at all. But he does, and he gets it better than most people. He spins at The IMC on Saturday night for the first annual Electro-Fest. Go and tell him that he should give me a call so that I can injure him for neglecting me for so long. FINAL WHIFF Back to form? Perhaps. But I can’t help but wonder how much more good I could do for the community if I reported about things that were good and uplifting all the time? You know — like which restaurants are good and which ones taste like shit. Say like, that one on University Ave ... Nah, Forget it. Seth Fein is from Urbana. No one won the $100 in the Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich contest. He was really hoping someone would though. He can be reached at sethfein1@gmail.com. INTRO | A ROUND TOWN | L ISTEN, HEAR | CU CALENDAR | STAGE, S CREEN &

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ANNA STATHAM • LISTEN, HEAR EDITOR

nothing for design

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OTHING fOR nnothing for dESIGN< design

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owboy Monkey quickly fi lled capacity on Saturday, April 29. Despite the rainy weather, people poured in as the music poured out onto the streets of downtown Champaign from the stage at the back of the bar. The bill of the evening consisted of openers Gentleman’s Auction Club and Wandering Sons, two bands worthy of their own respective articles in dedication. However, much of the excitement fi lling the bar centered around the headlining act of the evening, a local band on the exponential rise — elsinore. The show marked the Champaign release of elsinore’s fi rst full-length album, Nothing For Design, and the unveiling of the band’s new T-shirts. Design is a seven-month collaborative effort on the part of the folk-rock quartet. The excitement in Cowboy Monkey escalated late Saturday night in anticipation of the headlining act. As soon as Ryan Groff (lead vocals/acoustic guitar), Dave Pride (congas/percussion/vocals), Mark Woolwine (piano/vocals), and Chris Eitel (bass/vocals) took the stage to do a quick sound check before their scheduled 12:00 a.m. performance, the crowd became increasingly antsy,

PHOTO BY AUSTIN HAPPEL

PHOTO BY ROSS FLOYD

releasing its anticipation with outbursts of clapping and shouting after a random strum of Groff ’s acoustic guitar or a random beat of Pride’s congas. At around 12:15 a.m., the crowd quieted down as the four-piece band played the fi rst notes of their opening instrumental riff, giving way to a brief bass solo from Eitel. Groff stepped up to the mic, paused for a second, dug his foot into the ground, and promptly howled the f irst line of the f irst song off Design, “Mind, Space, and Time,” from center stage. I think it would be a discredit to elsinore and their powerfully hypnotizing, crowd-pleasing stage presence (and new- Dave Pride, Chris Eitel, Mark Wooline and Ryan Groff at Pogo studios, Feb. 27. found reputation as the 2006 Local Music Award winners of write-in category Best Live Act) to say the crowd Standing as testimony to their loyalty and adamant following went anything short of nuts. of the band, the crowd sang right along with elsinore during “It was amazing and left us with no words — only emotions most of the songs, at one point, during “Sliding Glass Door,” and adrenaline for our set,” Groff said of the crowd. singing the entire chorus call-and-answer style with Groff. Also Combusting into a collective mass of hand-clapping, head- notable was the crowd’s inability to keep from losing control of bopping, hip-swaying happiness, the 130 in attendance were, no their hands to air-drum along with Pride or air-keyboard along doubt, there in front of the stage because there was nowhere else with Woolwine perfectly in sync. This fan participation was in the CU universe they wanted to be at that point in time than particularly impressive considering the album was only released dancing on the floor to the music of their local favorites. But if it that night and already the lyrics and music have been committed can be said that the people on the floor were fi st-pumping happy, to memory by a good chunk of enthusiastic devotees. Saturday’s then it must be noted that the four guys on the stage were even show sold 75 copies of Design and all 40 available T-shirts more elated. Groff ’s bicep-length ringlets could have stood on “[The Champaign release show] was another huge reason to end from static due to the amount of electricity flowing through love and respect the CU music scene and call it home,” Groff his body on stage. Never has an acoustic guitar been played with commented after the show. “For the Monkey to be at capacity so much energy. And smiles. And hugs. before Gentleman Auction House started at 10 p.m., and for a Despite a broken G-string during the second song (go line of 20 to 30 people to be continuously at the door all night, ahead, think of all the jokes you could make if only you were we couldn’t have asked for a better turnout.” writing this article), elsinore fi lled over an hour and a half The men of elisnore came together in October 2004 time slot with music from Design, as well as a couple of new during their time spent in Charleston, Ill. at Eastern Illinois and old songs. Mixing it up a little, a few guest musicians and University, where three of the four members were pursuing friends performed on stage with the band throughout the set degrees in music. — Jenny Keefe on vocals and Adam Walton on bongos. From “Over the course of a few months we realized we all wanted the sentimentalist’s perspective, crowd-favorite “Cannonballs” the same thing ... to play the music Chris and I were writing in was to Cowboy Monkey Saturday evening what Clapton’s front of as many people as possible,” Groff said. “So, we started “Wonderful Tonight” is to most high school proms — not putting the songs together with our unique instrumentation and in the cheesy, over-the-top way, but in a feel-good, bringing they sounded like us, and not really any other band. We felt like everyone together way, that when coupled with the right were on to something good. Simply put, a year and a half later, environment (say, a live elsinore concert) might make you we’re doing what we want to do, playing the music we want to, choke back a small tear. and we couldn’t be happier.”

Mark Wooline performs live with Elsinore during the WPGU/ buzz Local Music Awards at the Highdive April 6.

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WHAT’S THE MATTER? STEROIDS MAKE YOU DEAF?

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>eeverything VERYTHING fOR RTart for aan

evehing for an art PHOTO BY AUSTIN HAPPEL

Now, Groff, 25, has earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Composition. Woolwine, 28, and Pride, 25, are set to graduate with a master’s in Music Composition and a bachelor’s in Percussion Performance, respectively. Eitel, 32, is working towards a Chiropractic degree, but has currently put it on hold for the band. Nothing for Design was recorded in downtown Champaign’s Pogo Studios with the help of Mark Rubel, lifetime musician and recording artist/ consultant since 1980. Design follows in the wake of elsinore’s EP Harmonic Impulsion and Elsinore on Display: A Live CD, both released in 2005. This summer elsinore is set to play at the outdoor Summer Camp Festival in Chillicothe, Ill. on May 27 with acts such as Andrew Bird, Kel ler Wi l l ia m s, Rusted Root, Moe a nd Umphrey’s McGee. On top of sending copies of Design to radio stations, music Web sites and news publications to increase circulation as much as possible, elsinore has a two to three week tour in planning for mid-summer, equipped with their very own “band van.” With high hopes for the future of his quartet, Groff describes his band in a way that is impossible not to love. “Elsinore is the world around us. We’re the blues, pop radio, country heartache, emotional sensitivity, raucous sass and sweaty hugs.” buzz If you missed the first, be sure to catch the second of elsinore’s two release shows Friday, May 5 at 8 p.m. at Jackson Avenue Coffee (outdoors) in Charleston with Theory of Everything. Admission is free. Ryan Groff ’s heart flies from his mouth during the WPGU / buzz Local Music Awards at the Highdive on April 6.

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album REVIEWS MASON PROPER There Is A Moth In Your Chest Mang Chung BY KYLE GORMAN

M a son P roper i s re ad y for prime time. The OC, in particular. Like other musical selections for the indie-it soap, they spor t elegant guitars and a lyrics sheet that doesn’t hesitate to look over its shoulder with self-conscious condescension (recommended if you like: Death Cab For Cutie). But instead of gazing at the glove-compartment, Mason Proper is looking over the dash. Vocals are gorgeous, both the delicate and poignant male voice, sometimes consciously referencing oldies singer Tommy James, and the accompanying female voice. The guitars and occasional electronics have quite a kick, either on numerous chunky, punk-inspired riffs or arching up and around in a way that only the best or most bombastic bands can. A Chance Encounter is a striking piece of heartbreak pop that sounds way good for somebody you’ve never heard of before. The arrangements throughout the album are good enough to be worth your while even if you didn’t speak the language. This record makes me think these guys would really rock out live, given the vocal emotional edge and potential for musical bravado. And to think I’d never even heard of them days before. Mason Proper will appear Saturday, May 6 at the Red Herring (in the basement of the Channing-Murray Foundation) along with Bailey and others. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $3.

BAND OF HORSES Everything All The Time Sub Pop BY GAVIN GIOVAGNOLI

Somebody’s been listening to My Morning Jacket. Two kids from the recently deceased mopey, string-heavy Seattle outf it, Carissa’s Wierd (’96 -’03), decided it was time to stop shufflin’ and draggin’ their feet, kick up the reverb to max and let the power chords flow. Originally calling themselves “Horses,� Benjamin Bridwell (vocals/guitar) and Mat Brooke (guitar) recruited a band of fellow northwest coast indie heroes, infusing their fragile roots and newfound crisp melodies for one epic tale of American rock that shoots soul-rocking sonic bullets so smoothly, you won’t even know you’re bleeding; which is why this album is repeat-button friendly. And oh my will you bleed. “The Funeral�, the track that took to the blog world with hauntingly ferocious tenacity is the epitome of their punch and go, charge and flow style; Bridwell slams and layers a shrill, morbid refrain, “At every occasion

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RICHARD CHEESE The Sunny Side Of The Moon: The Best of Richard Cheese Surfdog BY DAVID SICHER

Vulgar? Check. Tasteless? Check. Vodka on the rocks? Check. Richard Cheese is the kind of guy who’ll eat your glissando for breakfast and come home with your drunken mom hanging from his arm. His vocal stylings and the rhythmic churn of his backing band, Lounge Against the Machine, play like a third rate act from the golden age of Las Vegas, the rat-pack rejects if you will. But with surprisingly talented musicians, and an excess of charisma and enthusiasm, Richard’s gimmick — lounge interpretations of famous and infamous tracks f rom the pa st th ree decades — manages to stay fresh. S p e c i f ic a l l y, t h i s “best of � compilation is drawn from three previous efforts, Aperitif for Destruction, Tuxicity, and I’d Like A Virgin, along with a series of new recordings, including the heart-broken balladry of “Badd,� originally by the Ying Yang Twins (Crept up behind her/ told me it was time to/let a playa like me get in that vagina). While the scope of the source material (The Clash, Limp Bizkit, Pink Floyd, and Sir Mix-a-lot) and a wide range of styles (smooth guitar-and-piano jazz on “People Equals Shit,� big-band gusto on “Down with the Sickness,� and latin-flavored mambo on “Sunday Bloody Sunday�) is impressive, the CD clocks in at only 39 minutes and is missing some of Richard’s most excellent tracks, such as his farcical rendition of “More Human than Human� from the Tuxicity era. Despite these omissions, On the Sunny Side of the Moon shines for its brief time in the limelight. One thing is for sure — the line between musical genius and drunken baffoon became much thinner when Mrs. Cheese (if that is her real name) squeezed out her unfortunately named son Dick half a century overdue. I’m ready for a funeral,� only to strip down to a 12th fret finger-pluck standstill, lifting you up on your toes ... crooning ... crooning — hammering it home. Same goes for “The Great Salt Lake�; majestic reverb kicked into full-band, wound-forging rhythmic resonation. Everything All The Time, the Band of Horses’ first full-length effort, only fails when it comes to what it does best — weaving the highs and the lows. A double-edge sword, the swift charges and grand structures can get to be a little expected. But there are plenty of Earth-deep, acoustic spliced journeys on here to rock and cut you fresh and proper. sounds from the scene

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IF YOU SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME, I’LL UPLINK YOUR ASS, AND YOU’LL BE UNDERGROUND!

11

soundground #124 THIS WEEK IN MUSIC TODD J. HUNTER • STAFF WRITER

Apr il 26, Joni Laurence played her last local show to a packed lobby at The Canopy Club. Laurence did her best to accommodate “about 23 song requests,” and the intimate set spanned a solid hour and 56 minutes. Seven songs were duets: six with elsinore frontman Ryan Groff, and another with Linda Owens. As two-thirds of Dear Connie, Laurence and Owens made the 1992 cassette Nothing Better to Do. “Crushes” and “Poky Puppy” represented that, and Owens sang and strummed guitar on the latter. Four songs provoked peals of laughter, and none more so than “Contentedly Ever After.” The music stopped cold only once, when the audience broke up at the end of the first verse; not even the inexcusable volume of the bar telephone was able to interrupt the concert. Laurence closed with a new song written on tour and never before publicly per formed: “Have a Drink on Me.” Crowd noise for the next show was steady, but Laurence’s voice overcame it with grace and gravitas. May 14, Laurence and Mary Cloos move to Portland. Laurence has lived in Champaign since 1988

and told the audience, “People just like you make it all worth staying here.” A studio version of “Ramblin’ Cowboy” went on sale last week on the Artists Against AIDS compilation Give It Up Hand It Down Put It On. A live version will appear on Laurence’s album out next month, as will as a live version of “Breathing.” Both songs are duets with Groff. Saturday, Groff and the rest of elsinore celebrated their first full-length record release at Cowboy Monkey. At the same time very elegant and very accessible, Nothing for Design consists of twelve songs (all on the set Saturday) and attractive artwork by Meg Dolan. Cowboy Monkey was at capacity all night, and a long line snaked out the door until several songs into the set, although everyone who waited was admitted and able to hear everything. The vibe was simple, warm, and an awful lot of fun. The alternate record release is tomorrow, across the street from Jackson Ave. Coffee in Charleston, where elsinore formed. Laurence will be on hand, Theory of Everything will open, and anticipated showtime is 8 to 11 p.m. In addition, Groff and Them Damn Kids perform tonight for Acoustic @ Arôma from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Both shows are all-ages and free.

Tyson Mark ley, k nown in Champaig nUrba na a s keyboa rd ist for The Red Hot Va lent i nes a nd luchador for outer - space go-go-dancer revue Analog Saves the Planet, announces his new electro-surf-punk project, Mandroid (Destroyers of the Human Race). Conceived as a sort of Devo-meets-Man-or Astro-man? mélange, Mandroid (Destroyers of the Human Race) cajoles, “Live show features costumes, a video install, and death to humans.” In a calmer moment, Mark ley clar if ies: “I just want people to understand this is a show, not just a band. It’s more like watching a music video come to life.” Mandroid (Destroyers of the Human Race) will play May 11 at Cowboy Monkey. Show time is 10 p.m., and cover is $4. Mandroid (Destroyers of the Human Race) then will play May 13 at Peoria Pizza Works and May 16 at Main Lounge, Memorial Student Center, Illinois Wesleyan University to open for Smoking Popes. Todd J. Hunter hosts WEFT Sessions and Champaign Local 901, two hours of local music every Monday at 10 p.m. on WEFT 90.1 FM. Send news to soundground@excite.com. Support your scene to preserve your scene.

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Thursday, May 4 &;;%<=>?2 4)'@&)(A# 4B==/CD Friday, May 5 - late 10 pm

with Shipwreck & Kelpie

Satur day, May 6

No Cover! $1 Drinks

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Monday, May 8

WHAT THE HELL?!

[ PARASOL TOP TEN ]

moment of the week

1. SWEET, MATTHEW & SUSANNA HOFFS Under The Covers Vol. 1

KYLE GORMAN • STAFF WRITER

This week, Snoop Doggy Dogg was involved in a fracas with airport security. But there’s nothing funny about Snoop Dogg; no, he’s dead serious. UK music producer Adam Kidron has recorded and released a version of the U.S. national anthem sung in Spanish. “We ... view ‘Nuestro Himno’,” he said, “as a song that affords those immigrants that have not yet learned the English language the opportunity to fully understand the character of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ the American flag and the ideals of freedom that they represent,” continuing to explain that he wasn’t in any way discouraging Spanish-speaking immigrants from learning English. But our commander-in-chief is having none of it. “I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English,” he responded, “and I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English.” He has a point, I think. After all, English is the national language ... isn’t it? Turns out there is no national language for America, nor has there ever been. In fact, there are far more people of German, Hispanic, or Irish descent, than English in America. Doesn’t Bush know that music is the universal language?

w. Tony Sorrentino of Something For Sundown, Shoreham, 1090 Club, From The Tops of Trees

Wednesday, May 10

Shout Factory

2. PUNKY’S DILEMMA Eschelon EP

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Graduation Party 2006! Saturday, May 13

Junk Musik

3. THE 1900S Plume Delivery Parasol

4. TRASHCAN SINATRAS Midnight At The Troubadour

Thursday, June 1

Bo Bame

5. JOSE GONZALEZ Veneer (Mute U.S. Release) Mute

Hip-hop artist Pitbull records a Spanish version of the National Anthem.

Wednesday, June 7

6. JACKIE O MOTHER FUCKER Candyland JOMF

7. NOBODY AND MYSTIC CHORDS OF MEMORY Tree Colored See Mush

8. ELOPE 3WD Gravitation

9. RADIO DEPT. Pet Grief Labrador

10. HUM Electra Martians Go home

West Coast Hip Hop

Wednesday, June 14 Thursday, June 29:

Hank III

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9:;(!11<=)>9?(@>A!BC1DDD sounds from the scene

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12

cu calendar Mason Proper + This Story + Blanketarms + Bailey May 6th, 7: 30 pm The Red Herring, $3

YOUAINTNOPICASSO.BLOGSPOT.COM

Mason Proper plays pop music. Some songs are so delicate and sweet it would seem like they might fall apart if played too much. Others have an intensity and fury like oh so many natural disasters. At times The Pixies come to mind, but they would be better described as a “prettier Pixies.” It’s really a fleeting comparison suitable for a couple tracks. A psychedelic, ambient low-carb lettuce-wrap encompasses their songs, creating a lush and healthy sound, much different from the schizophrenic, barebones, deep-fried rock of Frank and Co. Piano-driven melodies lead the Mason Proper parade. The Red Herring welcomes the Michigan natives this Saturday. Also at the Herring is the army called This Story.The eleven member band plays essentially every instrument that one could imagine and then a couple you wouldn’t. Indianabased This Story has yet to release their debut record from the impressive and under-publicized Standard Recordings. They are folk in the way that any band with acoustic guitar,

violin and tambourine are labeled that way; but they are really a rock outfit with xylophone, trombones and Casiotones. Hard to really explain, but sounding so familiar and good, the best thing to do is just see them. During the Local Music Awards, I said Blanketarms should win the best rock category. This Champaign duo is truly one of the most intriguing bands I’ve ever heard, but rock is by no means the proper category for them. Their instruments of choice are ukulele, glockenspiel and hand claps and are filled with so much whimsy and, dare I say, magic, it would be impossible and mean to group them with the trite, the angry, and the boring which has come to define rock. With songs half as long but twice as good as most, Blanketarms is a tiny treasure that should be discovered. Hey! Grab a shovel and start digging to the Red Herring and you’re sure to strike gold. –Brian McGovern

TAKING A CUE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, EVENTS OF HIGH PRIORITY HAVE BEEN LABELED IN ORANGE.

DJ Generic DJ Jackson’s Ribs-NTips, 8pm, cover Zen Thursdays: DJ Asiatic Soma, 9pm, free Metal Thursday: DJ Dirtleg, DJ Vance Highdive, 10pm, free DJ Limbs Boltini, 10:30pm, free

THU. MAY 4

Dancing Swing Dance McKinley Foundation, 9:30pm, free

Live Bands Caspian, Mayhew the Traitor, Green Light Special, Coco Coca Independent Media Center 7pm, $4 Israel Patio Party: Greg Spero Trio, Nahag Chadash Joe’s Brewery, 8pm, cover Ryan Groff, Them Damn Kids Aroma Cafe, 8pm, free Caleb Rose Bowl Tavern 9pm, free Live Karaoke Band Tommy G’s, 9pm, cover Bottle of Justus, Dearborn, Dave Tamkin, Nice Peter Canopy Club, 9pm, $5 Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project Zorba’s, 9:30pm, $3 Will Rogers Band Neil St. Pub, 10pm, free Machines that think, Quadremedy, Brother Embassy Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $4 Concerts Christian Music Expo: Power of Praise, Connie Strange, Russ Woolen, Connie Cyr, and Arlie Neaville Lincoln Square Mall 6:30pm, donations University Symphony Orchestra Krannert Center, 7:30pm $6, $2

Karaoke Liquid Courage Karaoke Radmaker’s, 7pm, free “G” Force Karaoke Pia’s of Rantoul, 9pm, free Liquid Courage Karaoke The Office, 10pm, free Lectures / Discussions “Evolution of Primate Nutritional Niches: Implications for Interpreting Species Richness and Coexistence” Foreign Languages Building, 12pm, free Mind / Body / Spirit Krannert Uncorked Krannert Center, 5pm, free Comedy Improv @ Happy Hour Boltini 6pm, free Meetings Russki Stol- Russian Conversation Table Cafe Paradiso 4pm, free Family Fun “Funfare” Urbana Free Library, 10:30-11am, free

FRI. MAY 5 Live Bands Billy Galt Blues Barbecue 11:30am, free

Dave and Steve Joe’s Brewery 5pm, free The Prairie Dogs Iron Post 5pm, cover Champaign Central HS Jazz Fest ‘06 Champaign Central High School, 5pm, $5 Desfinado Cowboy Monkey 5:30pm, $2 Hockey Night, Sweet Polly, Piston Hurricane Independent Media Center, 7pm, $5 The Rafters Memphis on Main, 8:30pm, $4 Country Connection Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm, $1 The Brat Pack Tommy G’s 9pm, cover Will Rogers Band Neil St. Pub, 10pm, $3 Cecil Bridgewater and Friends Iron Post, 10pm, $5 Tractor Kings, Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel, The Siderunners Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $5 Mad Science Fair, Flyaway Minion, The Invisible Mike & Molly’s, 10pm, $3 Concerts Illinois Superstate concert band festival Krannert Center, 9am, cover Christian Music Expo: The Haneys, Living Water Trio, Phyllis Proctor, Lorretta Withee, and Arlie Neaville Lincoln Square Mall, 6:30pm, donations “For Here or To Go?” Krannert Center, 7pm, cover DJ DJ Elise Boltini, 6pm, free DJ Bozak Soma, 8pm, cover Cinco De Mayo Dance Party: DJ Tim Williams, DJ Delayney, DJ Bris Highdive, 9pm, $5 The Dee Brown Pre-Draft/Going Away Party: DJ Kaos, Shawn

Mac, B. Simms and Bonsu Canopy Club, 10pm, cover DJ Mertz Boltini, 10:30pm, free Dancing Contra Dancing Anderson’s Barn, 8pm, $5 Karaoke Karaoke by RM Entertainment Fat City Saloon, 7pm, free Liquid Courage Karaoke Brickhouse, 9pm, free Lectures / Discussions International Coffeehouse Wesley Foundation, 4pm, free “Coach Carter” film/lecture by Ken Carter Virginia Theatre 6pm, free Etc. Coffeehouse Wesley Foundation, 9pm, free

SAT. MAY 6 Live Bands Champaign Central Jazz Fest ‘06 Champaign Central High School, 5pm, $5 None More Black, Roberta Sparrow, Condition Red, The Hallow, The Anti-Social End, Frank Must Go McKinley Foundation, 6pm, $7 Indie Show: Mason Proper, This Story, Bailey, Blanketarms Red Herring Coffee House 7:30pm, $3 Prairie Dogs Hubers, 8pm free Outta the Blue Memphis on Main, 8:30pm, $4 Country Connection Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm, $1 Headlights, Kelpie, Shipwreck Canopy Club, 9pm, $5 Lost Boys Tommy G’s, 9pm, cover Will Rogers Band Neil St. Pub, 10pm, $3

The Engines Trio with Jeb Bishop Iron Post, 10pm cover Whiskey Daredevils, Hogscraper Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $5 Concerts Illinois Superstate concert band festival Krannert Center, 9am, cover Christian Music Expo: Singing Men of GNN, Glorylanders Quartet, Mark and Pam Fisher, The Samaritans, Servant Quartet, Ted Long, Bev McCann, The Murrays, Bill Nolan, New Life Singers and Arlie Neaville Lincoln Square Mall, 1pm, donations DJ DJ Bozak Soma, 8pm, cover DJ Babyface and the Hot 105.5 Staff Nargile, 9pm, cover 1st Annual C-U Electo-fest: TDM, Impact, Mertz, Joe’s Imagination, Geist, Reminicse, Roro & Scurvy Independent Media Center, 9:30pm, $5 DJ Tim Williams Highdive 10pm, $5 DJ Elise Boltini, 10:30pm, free Dancing Tango Dancing Verde Gallery 8pm, $5 Karaoke Creative Karaoke American Legion Post 71, 8pm, free Karaoke Contest Lake of the Woods Bar, 8:30pm, cover Liquid Courage Karaoke Geo’s 9pm, free Film Film: “To Kill a Mockingbird” Virginia Theatre, 1pm and 7pm, $5 Workshops Playing Jazz Today with Jeb Bishop and the Engines Champaign Central High School 2pm, free Miscellaneous Champaign-Urbana on the Trails Dodds Park, Registration at 7am, race at 9am, free Common Ground Food Cooperative’s Annual Plant Sale Illinois Disciples Foundation 9am, free Etc. Coffeehouse Wesley Foundation, 9pm, free Eighth Annual Parkland Motor Sports Car Show Parkland College, 12:30pm, $10 to register, free to attend

NOW HIRING GRAPHIC DESIGNERS for FALL 2006

Family Fun Free Comic Book Day Valhalla Games, 1pm, free

SUN. MAY 7 Live Bands Paul Sabuco The Hideaway 7pm, cover Crystal River Band Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm, free Reverand Robert Iron Post 9pm, cover Cameron McGill Mike & Molly’s, 10pm, cover Cecil Bridgewater and friends Canopy Club, 10pm, cover

Student Graphic Designers Prefer Experience in Adobe Creative Suite InDesign :: PhotoShop :: Illustrator Great portfolio-building experience working for a variety of clients. Create ads for print and online as well as marketing materials at our new location in campus town: 512 Green Street.

Concerts Illinois Superstate concert band festival Krannert Center, 9am, cover Parkland Pops present “Modern Rock” Parkland College 3pm, cover

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Ted Long Southern Gospel Music Concert Christian Church, 7pm, cover Young Artists Scholarship Concert The Chorale, 7pm, free BACH presents The American Boychoir Holy Cross Church 7:30pm, $18, $10 DJ sOUL tREE: DJ LNO Nargile 9pm, free before 10pm Miscellaneous MS Walk Meadowbrook Park 1:30pm, free

MON. MAY 8 Live Bands Feudin’ Hillbillys Rose Bowl Tavern, 6pm, free Michael Davis Bentley’s Pub 7pm, free Watery Domestic Canopy Club, 9pm, free Open Mic Night Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, free Concerts Illinois Superstate concert band festival Krannert Center, 9am, cover DJ DJ Delayney Barfly 10pm, free Family Fun “Babies’ Lap Time: Moonlight Edition” Urbana Free Library 6:30pm, free

TUE. MAY 9 Live Bands Billy Galt Blues Barbecue 11:30am, free Dan Loomis Quartet Iron Post 8pm, cover Crystal River Band Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm, free Open Mic Night Canopy Club 9pm, free if over 21/$2 Concerts Illinois Superstate concert band festival Krannert Center, 9am, cover DJ Zoo Theatre Company’s Boltini Bingo and Lounge Variety Show Boltini, 7pm, free Atomic Age Cocktail Party: Jason Croft Cowboy Monkey 9pm, free Subversion: DJ Evily, DJ Twinscin Highdive, 10pm, $2 DJ Hoff, DJ Gambino Mike & Molly’s, 10pm, cover DJ Tremblin BG Barfly 10pm, free DJ J-Phlip Boltini 10:30pm, free Dancing Learn To Dance: Salsa Class Old Urbana Post Office 7pm, $35 for 6 weeks Learn To Dance: Swing Class Old Urbana Post Office 8pm, $35 for 6 weeks Karaoke Liquid Courage Karaoke Geo’s 9pm, free Film Pink Panther Virginia Theatre, 7pm, $2 Visit www.cucalendar.com for the most current events and to add your own.

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14

stage, screen & i n b e t w e e n

ART IMITATING LIFE MEGHAN WHALEN • STAFF WRITER

T

IMITATING

wo faceless men wearing hard hats and work gloves influenced by her high school art teachers, who encouraged face and appear to be drilling for oil. They stand her to apply to U of I’s art program. near a bed with unkempt sheets and the mattress The University’s School of Art and Design, which displays its visible, creating a total contrast. They are out of their graduating seniors’ art every year, is unique in its approach to art. element and appear to be violatIt offers a comprehensive art education in a larger ing one another, causing the viewer to take university setting and encourages its students “I think I speak for all a second look and ponder its meaning. to get a message across in their work. This piece is part of Emily Pawlowski’s “U of I’s art program is distinctive because it art and design students senior thesis project, a series of paintings pushes content over formal technique,” explains t h a t look at women , i ndu s t r y, a nd Pawlowski. “The faculty place importance on when I say that I hope the concept.” oppression. Her art, along with that of at least 100 other graduating seniors of Many of the students will be using the art that the BFA show will the School of Art and Design, will be exhibition to sell their pieces and designs. It featured in the BFA Graduate Exhibition will also allow the University and surrounding give broader exposure community to see what the art and design at the Krannert Art Museum from May 6 to May 14. Paintings, drawings, program is all about. to our work.” photography, videos, ceramics, graphic “The BFA exhibit should be very exciting; we design, and other mediums will are all looking forward to it,” Pawlowski says. be on display. “I think I speak for all art and design stu“This exhibit displays dents when I say that I hope that the BFA a broad range of art and show will give broader exposure to our work. design studio practices,” says Alan Mette, Although I have not yet sold a piece this year, I would certainly Professor and Associate Director of the consider any offers that are made on them.” School of Art and Design. “[They] “This exhibition is a school-wide effort designed to give each illustrate new and established technologies graduate an opportunity to present their work to the public,” adds in material and virtual realms.” Mette. “This is also an opportunity for the University and the The st udents’ ar t feat ured, says Urbana-Champaign community to view our students’ commitMette, “Represents a culmination of ment to excellence and innovation in the practice of the arts.” four years of serious commitment to Each year, a catalogue is also put together, allowing the graduation their creative development.” seniors’ work to be commemorated for years to come. Graphic A large amount of time and effort design students Annie Rotz and Kristine de Chavez, along with is required in preparation for the faculty member Jennifer Gunji, have designed this exhibition. catalogue as a supplement to the exhibition. “I began the body of work last fall, Mette and Pawlowski both believe that the starting in September and worked up BFA show illustrates the importance of art until last week, basically” says and creativity. Pawlowski, whose paintings “We believe this exhibition are also currently on display confirms that the students and in an individual showing at faculty in the School of Art the University YMCA. and Design are committed to “One of t he pa i ntelevating and sustaining the ings was still wet when arts as both a distinct and I hung them at the Y.” necessary approach to Pawlowsk i, who understanding, as well works mostly with oil as a vibrant expression of paint, was inspired to diverse human experiences,” pursue art from states Mette. a n ea rly age. “Art can offer an origiHer father is nal perspective on things also an artist going on in the world and and, she says, also question our perceptions,” “Continues says Pawlowski. “I believe to inspire and that i n rea l ly g reat work, cha l lenge me you can often fi nd a piece of t o d a y.” S he yourself within it.” was also The 2006 BFA Graduate Exhibition will be on display from May sixth to the fourteenth at the East Gallery and 20th Century Gallery at the Krannert Art Museum. An opening reception will be held on May 6 from 5-7 p.m. buzz Aiden Finnegan • Photography

ART

Over one hundred graduating BFA seniors share their art with the community

Saak Abigail • Metals

Becky Ebling • Painting

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15

ARTIST’S CORNER

carlos fernandez

MATTHEW HOFFMAN • STAFF WRITER

After studying the business side of Advertising at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Carlos Fernandez went to the Miami Ad School where he studied and worked on developing a portfolio; he spent one year in Miami, and another in Hamburg, London, Minneapolis, and San Francisco.After that, Fernandez had a decent idea of what it means to do Art Direction and took an internship at Crispin, Porter + Bogusky in Miami.After 6 months of no sleep and no pay — which he describes as “Completely worth it� — he was hired in NewYork at Deutsch Inc. and that’s where he’s been for the past two and a half years. Currently, Fernandez is working on putting together a new art magazine calledVaccine.

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He describes his average day as follows: “Come in late, leave really late. Concept with my writer, pick photographers /directors,Try and think of new ways to sell stuff to people in ways that they care about, complain to account people, get taken to lunch by reps who want my business, concept on the patio, complain about the brief, do layouts on the computer, talk about girls, get ideas killed by creative director, keep thinking of ideas. Never look at the clock.� Do you also create your own art? What mediums do you work with and do you exhibit, or do you do it mainly for yourself?

I use acrylics and oils mostly. I recently finished seven paintings, each one 3’x5’, for an outdoor art installation which should be going up mid-summer. More about you personally, what drives you and inspires you? Who are your influences in your art and work, and what do you hope to accomplish?

At the end of the day I just want to feel happy with what I do. I have been very fortunate in how my life has been unfolding. I mostly look around me for inspiration. In New York, everyone has got their hustle on for something, and I think everyone just feeds off of that energy. I also stay up on the art shows and

SEE ARTIST’S CORNER PG. # 17

Fiction Short Story Writing Contest

CARLOS FERNANDEZ

emerging artists scene. I also try to do things that I have never done, whether that be an event, show, concert or simply the way I get to work everyday. In the same vein as the above question, or perhaps because I’m such a music lover, what do you listen to? Who are your favorite musicians?

Since my ipod broke, I have been listening to the things around me and imagining that as a kind of music. Right now I hear cars honking. But again, New York has so much great music to hear it’s hard to limit yourself to one artist or another. But when I have been listening to music lately it’s either Johnny Cash or anything that comes out of the 80s station.

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SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT

16 •

RV • ROBIN WILLIAMS

RV

RV • KRISTIN CHENOWETH

PAUL PRIKAZSKY • LEAD REVIEWER

R

V paints an exact portrait of what you think of when you hear those horrible two letters. Loud and obnoxious. And that’s just what the Munro family’s trip from L.A. to Colorado is like. Bob Munro (Robin Williams) is about to take the family on vacation when his sniveling boss (Tony Hale of TV’s brilliant Arrested Development) forces him into a business meeting. Instead of telling his family the truth, Bob packs them up in a rented RV and drags them along telling them it’s a vacation. Along the way they run into the full-time RV family, the Gornickes. The Gornicke patriarch, Travis (Jeff Daniels) and his wife Marie Jo (Kristin Chenoweth) are the antithesis of the dysfunctional Munro family.

Nevertheless, the Gornickes take a liking to the Munros and decide to follow them wherever they go. Director Barry Sonnenfeld doesn’t make typical movies. He makes three-dimensional fairy-tales. His stunning cinematography and transcendent use of color is more reminiscent of a live action cartoon than a motion picture. If ever an actor was born to be part of a real cartoon, it’s Robin Williams. Williams is the original clown prince — a master of improvisation and the comic form. His witty, rapid-fire banter moves at schizophrenic speed and his stand-up routines are ingenious. Unfortunately playing a brainless, soulless role concocted by the big studios is a defamation of his character.

It’s almost hard to believe RV is relegated to a one-joke wonder with such superb talent. Much like the film, it’s an abysmal attempt at forcing the family together. Think of Williams in the Clark Griswold role that made Chevy Chase a star in the National Lampoon Vacation films. Both patriarchs share the same desperation for family togetherness while still trying to be the hip dad, much to the chagrin of their reluctant families. Cheryl Hines does her best variation of the only character she knows: Cheryl David. She’s that Cheryl David of HBO’s excellent Curb Your Enthusiasm, the wife of neurotic Seinfeld mastermind, Larry David. But it’s getting old. Just like she is. And unless Hines finds the fountain of youth

(or a better plastic surgeon), she needs to find roles that match her comedic shtick. There’s some spark and wit to the dialogue, mostly due to Williams’ virtuoso comedic talents, but everything seems out of place. Daniels is too conservative to play an irritating goof ball. Reversing the Daniels and Williams roles would have made for a far more exciting film. RV has good intentions, but it’s a totally unoriginal family film. Stick Steve Martin in the Williams role and we have Cheaper by the Dozen 3 (God forbid). There’s nothing risquÊ. I know it’s a family flick, but how about a little edgy humor? You know, for the adults? There’s no reason to see RV because we’ve already seen it many times before.

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IT WAS REAL, BUT I GOT SICK AND ALL THE HAIR FELL OUT.

AKEELAH AND THE BEE

TSOTSI

TIM PETERS • STAFF WRITER

SYD SLOBODNIK • STAFF WRITER

H

parents, almost every predictable obstacle is set up in this film only to be miraculously cleared by fortuitous coincidences and improbable changes of heart. By the end, it seems all of southern Los Angeles has united in happy harmony to cheer on their spelling savior. By trying to cram in so many problems and solutions, much of the dialogue becomes perfunctory and unnatural. Worse, despite such talents, the acting comes off as unconvincing because the characters and scenes are often so incredible. The archetype of the child prodigy is nothing new to cinema. Even the idea of a talented, young speller is not novel — consider the successful 2002 documentary Spellbound. These stories of ambitious children work when their young protagonists’ idealism and innocence must reckon with pragmatic and harsh adult realities. Akeelah and the Bee fails to transcend as anything more than escapist family fare because that harsh reality is missing. It’s a matter of one word, and surely this f ilm’s protagonist could spell it, though her story lacked it: V-E-R-I-S-I-M-I-L-I-T-U-D-E.

T

sotsi, the well deserved Oscar winning best foreign language film of 2005 offers film-goers a rare view of authentic African culture and social drama. Based on a novel by famed South African playwright Athol Fugard, and adapted to the screen by writer/director Gavin Hood, it concerns a violent week-in-thelife of a nineteen-year-old Soweto street thug and his eventual wish for redemption. Tsotsi will immediately remind viewers of the recent Brazilian film City of God, but older film buffs will likely find its story more reminiscent of Perry Henzell’s 1972 cult classic The Harder They Come, the tale of a Jamaican singer/outlaw, and even John Ford’s 1948 film The Three Godfathers, about three bandits who shepherd an orphaned baby across the desert Southwest. Tsotsi is a powerful film about a troubled youth, named Tsotsi, a nickname meaning “thug,” played by Presley Chweneyagae, who was raised by an abusive father and a sickly mother. Tsotsi spends his days on the streets of Johannesburg stealing and subjecting violence on innocent victims; at night, he returns to the squalid ghetto of Soweto Township. One day after being criticized by

fellow gang member for his ruthlessness and lack of decency, Tsotsi brutally beats his friend and begins his journey of self-examination. After carjacking and seriously wounding a wealthy black South African woman, Tsotsi discovers he’s inadvertently kidnapped the woman’s infant son. For several days the young thug tries reluctantly to care for the child finding he can’t just abandon or kill the innocent. Troubled conflicts with a crippled street beggar and a young mother, who’s nursing her own infant son, helps Tsotsi realize what doing the right thing is. Director Hood tells this simple but moving tale with a smooth musical background and occasional haunting flashbacks of Tsotsi’s early life. Shooting in mostly dark film noir-like visual style, Hood creates a mood of desperation and heartrending emotion of not only a criminal on the run, but the baby’s parents waiting for the police to track down their kidnapped boy. Using authentic Xhosa, Zulu, and Afrikaans languages, Tsotsi provides a unique perspective on post-Apartheid life and became the first Oscar winning film from an African nation since the 1976 Ivory Coast film Black and White in Color.

LIONS GATE FILMS

ow do you spell “sentimentalism?” How about “hackneyed plot?” Try this one: “profit-driven family fluff ?” The answer: A-K-E-E-L-A-H. Akeelah and the Bee, writer/director Doug Atchison’s portrait of a young girl’s spelling bee conquests, is an effusive fantasy whose unbelievable narrative shortcuts are redeemed only by a syrupy-sweet, everyone’s-a-winner conclusion. The story centers on the bespectacled title character, Akeelah Anderson, whose 11-yearold emotions are perpetually fixed on the face of actress Keke Palmer. She lives in downtrodden southern L.A. with her worn, nurse mother (Angela Bassett). Despite skipping classes, Akeelah can ace her spelling tests without studying. Her principal, Mr. Welch (Curtis Armstrong), believes she could advance to the national bee and bring attention and windfall funding to their struggling school. As she advances through the stages of the spelling bee circuit, conf lict keeps deterring Akeelah. From an obstinate mother to teasing peers, a disillusioned mentor to racist, cheating

17

MIRIMAX

ALEELAH AND THE BEE • LEE THOMPSON YOUNG

ARTIST’S CORNER CONTINUED FROM PG. # 15

Our (my business partner and I) goal is to establish, through the magazine and our marketing efforts, Vaccine as an art lifestyle brand. Hopefully, a simple uncluttered format and intriguing content will draw like-minded persons towards the brand. What goes into starting up a new magazine? Is it more difficult than you thought?

It’s always harder than you think, you need time, money, and passion. We have the time now, and have always had the passion, the money is the tricky part were working on. What is on the horizon for you — either artistically or in life (or both)?

TSOTSI • KENNETH NKOSI, PRESLEY CHWENEYAGAE, ZENZO NGQOBE & MOTHUSI MAGANO

Whether with my magazine, my job, or my volunteer efforts, I have found myself continuously trying to create a place where other talents can flourish. I always find it such a disappointment that there is so much talent out there that never reaches the light of day. My opportunities in my professional life are to create opportunities for others. Once it is off the ground, will you solicit contributors to the magazine? How should people contact you?

My curators will be in charge of collecting submissions. In the meantime, persons can reach me via email at carlos@vaccineart.com, or you can also sign up for our mailing list at our website: vaccineart.com Final interview questions are always lame. Mine is no different. Give me three words that DO NOT describe you.

Boring, cluttered, and stale. sounds from the scene

MIRIMAX

Tell me about Vaccine and what makes it unique. Why and how do you think the art community will embrace it?

TSOTSI • ORPHANS IN SOWETO

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YOU KNOW WHAT I SEE WHEN I LOOK AT YOU?

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POINT AND COUNTERPOINT

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Is America ready for the film United 93?

UNITED 93 • PETER HERMANN AS JEREMY GLICK AND MASATO KAMO AS TOSHIYA KUGE

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YES, WE ARE.

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aul Greengrass’s dramatic rendition of the flight that landed in a Pennsylvania cornfield is the first movie about 9/11 released on the big screen. After nearly five years since the September 11 hijackings, TV movies, and HBO specials are no longer the main sources of this historic event. Despite its theatrical release and good reviews, the thing that really matters is public perception. Is America ready to revisit one of the most difficult times in our history? It may not be easy, but yes we are... For one, political coverage is constantly in the news. With recent movies like Syriana and the upcoming World Trade Center, we are constantly surrounded by the reality we try so hard to avoid. So why is this movie any different? Granted, it may not be as easy to watch as Real Time with Bill Maher, but it’s important to release a movie like this at some point. Because if not now, when? three years, 30 years, 300 years? No, because the longer we wait, the less people will remember. Forgetting an event like this would

NO, WE AREN’T.

be much worse than releasing any such movie. Movies act as more than stories. They are a way of delivering important messages to society. Some messages are more obvious than others, but they are always there. In the case of this film, the message outweighed the story by a long-shot. Aspects like the handheld camera or the lack of naming characters led to the film’s realistic feeling. Even though this makes it more dramatic and overwhelming, it’s much more effective in portraying its message of patriotism. United 93 didn’t reach its target because its passengers found the courage to unite as one and prevent the suicide mission from happening. This is exactly why this film is so essential. It’s vital that, despite our dog-eat-dog everyday mentality, we are able to unite in circumstances that demand unity most. Even though each audience member lives their own lives, everyone exits the theater as one. And when 111 minutes can make a crowd feel this way, well, that’s time well spent. - Scott Frankel

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hen it comes to controversy surrounding the film United 93, the question ought not be “Is America ready for this film?” but rather “Should this film be made?” While the movie is supposed to be a realistic and moving account of the heroic patriotism of the passengers on United 93, it instead exudes a powerful statement of Hollywood greed, manipulating the emotional intensit y of such events to compensate for struggling box office business. Additionally, many of the families of the people who died in the 9/11 attacks have protested both this film and Oliver Stone’s upcoming movie World Trade Center. They claim that the studios are simply manipulating their (and a nation’s) tragedy for profit. Furthermore, they’ve made it entirely clear that they do not wish to see how their relatives died. If we as a nation truly respect those who perished in the terrorist attacks of 9/11, shouldn’t we respect the wishes of their widows? Personally, I believe that the events are far too recent and fresh in the minds of Americans to justify reliving the horrors of that fateful day. We can certainly remember the terrors of 9/11 without the help of Paul Greengrass and Oliver

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Stone. If their true intention is to document and remind a nation of the tragedy (which has already been comprehensively accomplished in the f ilm 11’09’’01 - September 11), then they should allow the events more time to blend into the subconscious of our society. As of now, the events of 9/11 are barely “history.” The production of United 93 is the rough equivalent of picking at a new scab; it only causes scarring. It is important to note that many important (and successful) films have been made only a few years after prior disillusioning events in our nation’s history, such as Vietnam — for example The Deer Hunter. However, those were films which represented the values of the war and the impacts they had rather than explicitly documenting the event itself. Besides, if this film is successful, it will open the f loodgates for movies similar in nature (thereby “ justifying” their “legitimacy” both econom ical ly and “moral ly”), just as T he Ring did for American remakes of Japanese hor ror f ilms. Then the question becomes what’s next, Hurricane Katrina: The Movie? - Jeff Gross sounds from the scene

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AMERICA’S GOT A SAD FUTURE AHEAD OF IT.

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tale of fire-breathing dragons and mystical sorcerers roaming a Tolkien-esque world of enchantment. So when, you might ask, does Val Kilmer come into this mix? Perhaps it is quite difficult to imagine Kilmer wielding his armor as the immortal swordsman Madmartigan, but Willow (Warwick Davis), the dwarf with a heart of gold, desperately requires his skills against seemingly infallible tyranny. During the shadowed reign of the wicked Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh), the forces of good must vest its hope in an infant princess, the target of Her Majesty’s tireless and blood-thirsty manhunt. Against all odds – namely imperialist armies, wolves, two-headed dragons, trolls, and evil sorcerers – Willow and Madmartigan must protect the magical newborn at all costs. Once again, the entire balance of the world is hung by the almighty savvy of one Val Kilmer.

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A wholly underrated bit of cinema, Adaptation ventures deep into the creative mind of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. The result, albeit exceptionally bizarre, boasts a first-person panoramic interpretation of Kaufman’s own struggle to adapt a screenplay from another medium. The medium, a real-life, nonfiction work by the name of The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean (portrayed in the movie by Meryl Streep), details the story of John Laroche (portrayed in the movie by Chris Cooper) and his experience as a cultivator of a rare kind of orchid. The film features two brothers: Charlie Kaufman (portrayed in the movie by Nicholas Cage), a successful but self-tortured screenwriter, and Donald Kaufman (also Nicholas Cage), a half-witted aspiring screenwriter. Two parallel stories – one featuring Charlie’s chaotic attempt at screenplay adaptation and the other focusing on The Orchid Thief narrative – converge to create a quasi-mystery/thriller involving both Charlie and Donald. It’s somewhat confusing, so pay close attention.

19

theater review PIPPIN DAN BRUNNER • STAFF WRITER

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ntil May 13, the musical Pippin will be playing at the Station Theater. The show has many strengths that make it worth seeing, but many shortcomings that make it at times frustrating. The story is of Pippin, a young prince who becomes king. Pippin’s father, Charles, is a tough leader who can at times be cruel. Lewis, Pippin’s brother, wants the throne, but doesn’t get it; when Pippin gets the crown, Lewis struggles with maintaining power. This show would have been a lot worse if it weren’t for the energy and talent that the ensemble brought to the table. They were having so much fun and also did a great job building the story. The lead parts were a mixed bag, because they didn’t have half the commitment that the ensemble did. The show also has a strong use of costumes and sounds from the scene

modern props that seemed interesting, but at times didn’t make sense. The show has the intention of being an adaptation that incorporates modern elements into it. For example, people carry guns and Pippin wears a patriotic hat. The set of the show is basically comprised of drawers and cabinets that hold costume pieces. The actors changed repeatedly on stage, but I don’t know if the audience could figure out why. Those who are fans of the show Pippin should definitely see it. This production has a very unique interpretation of the show. What may disappoint is the overall difficulty with humor. The story is supposed to be light-hearted, but the show aspires to make too much of a statement. It’s still a good time and full of polished singing and dancing from the ensemble.

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Employment 000

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Apartments

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Earn $5000 as an egg donor. Must be 20-29 and a non-smoker. Please call Alternative Reproductive Resources at 773-327-7315 to learn how you can help a family fulfill its dreams. Organic vegetable farm needs full time and part time help. Planting, harvesting, and deliveries. Jobs runs now thru 11/15. 643-2031

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1 bedroom lofts $535 2 bedrooms $575 3 bedrooms $650 4 bedrooms $925 Campus, parking. Spring ‘06, 367-6626

105 E. JOHN Available Fall 2006. 1 bedroom furnished, great location. Includes parking. Phone 352-3182. Office at 309 S. First, Champaign. THE UNIVERSITY GROUP www.ugroup95.com Available Now 1 bedroom $385 Campus. 367-6626

110

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BEST VALUE 1 BR. loft from $480. 1 Br. $395 2 BR. $495 3 BR. $750 4 BR $855 Campus. 367-6626.

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Fall 2006. Efficiencies. Secured building. Private parking. Laundry on site, ethernet available. Office at 309 S. First, Ch. THE UNIVERSITY GROUP www.ugroup96.com 352-3182

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510 S. Elm Available Fall 2006. 2 BR close to campus, hardwood floors, furnished, W/D, central air/heat, off street parking, 24 hr. maintenance. $595/mo. 841-1996. THE UNIVERSITY GROUP www.ugroup96.com 352-3182

509 Stoughton Near Grainger, Spacious studios and 2 bedrooms, ethernet, parking. THE UNIVERSITY GROUP www.ugroup96.com 352-3182

705 W. Stoughton 3 bedroom apartment Spacious living area. Communal balcony & great backyard. Plus a bar area in kitchen. THE UNIVERSITY GROUP 352-3182

506 E. Stoughton, C. For August 2006. Extra large efficiency apartments. Security building entry, complete furniture, laundry, off-street parking, ethernet available. Office at 309 S. First, C. THE UNIVERSITY GROUP www.ugroup96.com 352-3182

506 E. Stoughton, C. For August 2006. Extra large efficiency apartments. Security building entry, complete furniture, laundry, off-street parking, ethernet available. Office at 309 S. First, C. THE UNIVERSITY GROUP www.ugroup96.com 352-3182

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509 E. White, C. August 2006. Large 1 bedrooms. Security entry, balconies, patios, furnished. Laundry, off-street parking, ethernet available. Office at 309 S. First, C. THE UNIVERSITY GROUP www.ugroup96.com 352-3182

604 E. White, C. Security Entrance For Fall 2006, Large 1 bedroom, furnished, balconies, patios, laundry, off-street parking, ethernet available. Office at 309 S. First, C. THE UNIVERSITY GROUP www.ugroup96.com 352-3182

1006 S. 3RD, C. August 2006. 1 bedrooms. Location, location. Covered parking & laundry, furnished & patios, ethernet available. Office at 309 S. First, Champaign. THE UNIVERSITY GROUP www.ugroup96.com 352-3182

'VSOJTIFE August 15, Large basement apt. on campus. $440/mo, utilities paid. 51 E. Chalmers. Call 337-0988.

307 & 310 E. WHITE 307 & 309 CLARK Fall 2006 Large studio, double closet, well furnished. Office at 309 S. First, C. THE UNIVERSITY GROUP www.ugroup.com 352-3182

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503- 505- 508 E. White Fall 2006. 2 and 3 bedrooms. Furnished with internet. Parking and laundry available. On-site resident manager. Call Kyle, 202-7240. THE UNIVERSITY GROUP www.ugroup96.com 352-3182 Available June 1- Studios 1 bedroom • 2 bedroom• 3 bedroom www.ugroup96.com 352-3182

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21

the stinger kim rice & kate ruin DOIN’ IT WELL

jonesin CROSSWORD PUZZLE

“I’m Not a Doctor”-but I get this cool title anyway. Across 1 It may be enough for some 5 “Diff’rent Strokes” actor Conrad 9 Sportscaster Rashad 14 Jessica in the Jim Bakker scandal 15 “Do ___ others...” 16 Tilted to one side 17 Child of a pre-Civil War trial figure and former E! host Jules? 19 “West Side Story” sides 20 Dangerous bulge 21 Cheryl of “Charlie’s Angels” 22 Carpenter’s hand tool 23 Polish potato pocket

6 Novelist Radcliffe and namesakes 7 Thing 8 And not either 9 Organism that can be brown, red or green 10 Dizzy feeling 11 Instrument played on the 2005 White Stripes album “Get Behind Me Satan” 12 Director of Heath and Jake 13 Wino’s visions 18 Famed football coach Parseghian 21 Kiddie ___ (book genre) 23 Hybrid language 24 It’ll shut you up 25 Place to stay when traveling 28 Like Braille dots 29 Split-level beds 31 “The ___ Song” (retaliatory 2004 tune by Eric Idle) 32 Marilyn ___ Savant (high IQ columnist) 33 NBC show that sometimes busts sexual predators 34 Working 35 Show where Brad Rutter bested Ken Jennings 26 Thomas who drew Santa 50 Half of a 1980s power 36 Send along an e-mail, couple Claus and the Tammany for short 52 Spiritual board marHall Tiger keted by Parker Brothers 37 Bollywood actress 27 Go around Aishwarya ___ 54 President who’s looking 30 ___ Bator, Mongolia 40 Signoff like “Truly,” but for a hidden arsenal? 31 Security concern shorter 32 Peace symbol 55 Words after “ready” 41 His theme song plays 56 It’s dealt 33 Prostitute’s client who when he eats 57 Almanac volume loads trucks in his 42 With humans on board, 58 Academy newbie spare time? as a space flight 36 Swiss currency 59 ___-bitsy 43 Scarecrow buddy 38 They can be clear or 60 Dame played by an 44 Oh on screens Australian guy blue 46 Small font size 39 Electrical power unit 48 Part of ESL 40 Like some survey Down 50 Word after hot or 1 “Crud!” questions banana 41 Pie chart demarcations: 2 Land in a 2005 Tilda 51 Long times to wait abbr. Swinton film 52 Alley ___ 45 Alan Rickman’s first 3 Henhouse sounds 53 Address online, movie 4 Table spray brand for short 5 It’s pointless and time47 Richard Pryor’s Illinois 54 Letters on a phone’s 4 consuming birthplace 49 ZZ Top hit Answers, pg. 22

sounds from the scene

Syphilis is on the rise, pass it on. Spread the word, not the infection.

T

his column is a shout out to everyone who is sexually active! Health authorities in CU have reported a syphilis outbreak in Champaign County. They have suggested we write about it in our column. Here at Doin’ It Well, we have struggled with how to approach this topic. On one hand, we believe people should be informed about health news in our community, so they can make informed decisions about their behaviors. On the other hand, we pride ourselves on being sex positive, and celebrating sexuality as a natural, wonderful and beautiful part of all beings. Because so few people are talking about sex, whenever something negative comes up, it’s up to the sex educators to let people know about it. We feel a little resentful of that, but we care about our community. We live in a culture where messages about sexuality are omnipresent and contradicting. Some of us hear from school that sex equals risk and disease while TV and magazines paint a picture of sex as devoid of consequences. We may hear from other sources that “sex is dirty,” but we should save it for someone we love (Kim’s personal favorite). Where do these conflicting messages leave us? Sexually confused! In addition, most people have learned about the negative things associated with sex: sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, unintended pregnancy, heartache. But rarely do we see anything that teaches us that sex is also wonderful, beautiful, meaningful, pleasurable and 100 percent normal. Is it possible that shame about sexuality is a contributing factor to the recent syphilis outbreak? We think so. With any other health outbreak — l i ke the mumps or bird f lu — we get inundated with information on what it is, how it’s being spread, precautions to take, medications available, and where to go for help. Everyone begins talking about it. But when an outbreak of syphilis occurs, only those who are directly involved with sexual or public health are responsible for getting the word out, and even then, to very targeted communities. So why is it that sexual activity is universal, yet messages about possible infections that can be passed through sexual activity are not? One could argue that mumps and the bird f lu are or have the potential to be more harmful. This is true. The following is also true: Sharing a dorm room, shaking someone’s hand who is sick, eating at a restaurant, standing next to someone who sneezes, taking care of chickens so the rest of the world can eat them and having sex are all normal behaviors. They all also carry risk for infection of some sort. You run the risk of

meningitis, strep throat, bird flu, E coli, hepatitis A, or syphilis (among others). Syphilis is curable, and a simple blood test can determine if you are infected. Anyone who is sexually active can get syphilis. We are currently seeing a rise in cases among men who have sex with men. There are precautions you can take to reduce your risk for infections. Just as we wouldn’t suggest people live in isolation to avoid strep throat, we also don’t suggest that you fear or avoid sex, as it is a normal part of who you are, and of life. Condom use will significantly reduce your risk of syphilis infection. Knowing if you have syphilis and knowing the status of your partner will also reduce the spread of this infection. Unti l the time that ever yone is ta l k ing about sexual health in an open, honest way, it’s up to us, all of us, to take care of ourselves and our friends, lovers, brothers, sisters, children and communities and to spread the word about STIs.

SEX 411. SYPHILIS IS CURABLE! • Syphilis infection starts with a painless

chancre that may go unnoticed depending on where they are. They can appear inside the vaginal canal, mouth or rectum making them difficult to spot. Syphilis chancres clear up on their own within a couple weeks but a person remains infected with syphilis unless they get treatment. • The second phase of syphilis infection is characterized by a rash that could appear anywhere on the body but most commonly appears on the palms of the hands or feet. • If left untreated syphilis can progress into its third phase causing systemic damage to the body including brain damage, blindness and even death. • If you’re concerned that you could have been exposed to syphilis or another sexually transmitted infection, call your doctor to get a test or contact the Public Health District to find out about free confidential testing. (Champaign-652-7961, Rantoul- 862-0832).

Kim Rice and Kate Ruin are professional sex educators. They love to hear from their readers and answer sex questions! Write to them at riceandruin@yahoo.com

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IT’S COMING RIGHT FOR US!

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free will astrology MAY 4 — MAY 10 ARIES

March 21 – April 19

“Any idiot can face a crisis,” said Russian writer Anton Chekhov. “It is the day-to-day living that wears you out.” Your main assignment in the coming weeks, Aries, will be to use your ingenuity to keep from being burned out by the subtle and minor trials of the daily grind. It won’t be as dramatic a challenge as some of the epic travails you dealt with in March, but in my opinion it will be just as heroic.

T A U RU S

April 20 – May 20

New Rule: During the next two weeks, you’re not allowed to think any thought or feel any feeling you’ve experienced a million times before. If you detect one of those stale ingredients bubbling up into the mix, it’s your sacred duty to immediately substitute a fresh-from-the-garden idea or feeling that you’ve never entertained before. It’s the season of novelty, Taurus-time to compost the old ways and revel in raw innocence. Invite the universe to gorge you with virginal blessings.

GEMINI

May 21 – June 20

In the entire history of the world, there has never been a time that neglects dreams more than ours. Every other culture has paid more attention to the information that’s available to us while we’re sleeping. This ennervating ignorance incurs a personal cost. If you’re one of those who rarely recalls your dreams, you’re suffering a grievous loss of connection with the wisdom of your unconscious mind. And even if you do stay in touch with your dreams, most of the people around you aren’t connected to theirs, and that generates stupendous stupidity. Want to remedy the problem, Gemini? It’s a perfect astrological moment to improve your relationship with the realm where you spend one-third of your life. Here are a few resources: the book Living Your Dreams by Gayle Delaney; the book Radical Dreaming: Use Your Dreams to Change Your Life by John Goldhammer; the Lucid Dream Institute (http:// www.lucidity.com); dream interpretations by Jonathan Zap (http://snipurl.com/paar).

CANCER

June 21 – July 22

Pathologist Paul Wolf has suggested that some of history’s great artists may have never created their masterpieces if the wonders of modern medicine had been available to them. For example, what if doctors had cured van Gogh’s mental illness with a regimen of drugs like Prozac and Xanax? Maybe he would have been spared the torment that goaded him to the outbursts of genius that erupted on his canvases. It’s an interesting theory--one that I invite you to apply to your own life history. Are there ways in which the very things that have driven you crazy have played a role in your finest accomplishments? This is a perfect time to acknowledge and celebrate that ironic miracle.

LEO

July 23 – Aug. 22

Let’s talk about the gift that it is your destiny to offer the world. Are you still struggling to figure out what it is? Here’s what storyteller Michael Meade advises: You’ll know it’s the gift you were born to give if your energy is renewed, not exhausted, by giving it. It so happens that the coming weeks will be a perfect time to make dramatic progress in exploring this crucial truth, Leo.

VIRGO

Aug. 23 – Sept. 22

According to research done by Forbes magazine, more billionaires are Virgos than any other sign of the zodiac. A disproportionate 12 percent of the world’s wealthiest people are members of your tribe. I hope this startling fact inspires you to be more proactive in cultivating your natural advantages. It’s high time for you to prime your cash flow. Now please promise that you will say the following affirmation three times a day for the next 30 days: “Because I am shrewd, analytical, practical, attentive, and strategic, I possess all the necessary qualities to become wealthier. I am a money magnet. Money is my servant. O monnee gimmee summ.”

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Oct. 23 – Nov. 21

S AG I T TA R I U S

Nov. 22 – Dec. 21

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

AQUA R I U S

Jan. 20 – Feb. 18

I have a rabid appreciation for your efforts to make this world a steamier, wilder, more lyrical labyrinth. Thank you for all the entertaining mysteries you conjure so regularly. You are a true Puzzle Master, both in the sense that you create beautiful enigmas and that you solve seemingly impossible riddles. Having said that, though, I want to beg you to ease up on the drama for a while. Now and then there come times when you get so heavy and thick with obsessive longing and complicated emotions that you’re in danger of imploding. This is such a moment. So lighten up, please. Consider indulging in the pleasures of harmless fun and frivolous diversions for a few days.

I would never make light of your pain, Sagittarius, but it’s my duty to inform you that you now have a rather amusing opportunity to capitalize on it. You may have heard that Star Trek actor William Shatner sold his kidney stone to an online casino for $33,000. In a comparable though perhaps more metaphorical way, I foresee you being able to cash in on or at least make very good use of something that once hurt you very much.

Your meditation for the week comes from playwright Bertolt Brecht. “Art is not a mirror held up to reality,” he said, “but a hammer with which to shape it.” This is an excellent idea to keep in mind even if you’re not a writer, painter, dancer, filmmaker, actor, or musician. What it means is that you now have the duty and opportunity to fully unleash the creator in you. Don’t be satisfied with the world the way it is; don’t sit back and complain about the dead weight of the mediocre status quo. Instead, stir up your curiosity and charisma and expressiveness and lust for life. Then rebuild everything you see so that it’s in greater harmony with the laws of love.

“People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. Your assignment in the coming week, Aquarius, is to take inventory of your opinions about the world, and then analyze what they reveal about your character. Here are some questions to guide your explorations. How do the feelings and theories you carry within you get projected onto the life you find around you? Do your prevailing attitudes help shape the experiences you attract? Is the reality you’ve built in your psyche at least partially responsible for creating the reality you encounter everywhere you go?

PISCES

Feb. 19 – March 20

Whenever I’m on top of the world and able to see for miles, it’s easier for me to view the big picture of my life. That’s why I rode my bike to the crest of the mountain today. I wanted to meditate on a certain personal problem that has had me stumped. But when I arrived there after a long ascent, a frigid, relentless wind was blustering so hard that I could barely think. Reluctantly, I came down the mountain and did my meditation in the valley below, where a mild, warmer wind posed no aggravation. There I was able to get the insight I needed. Now I’m passing my lesson on to you, Pisces. You may not be able to accomplish your current goal where you thought you could, but you can do it in a different place. Be flexible about the setting. Homework: If you had a little baby clone of yourself to take care of, what would be your child-rearing strategy?

Sept. 23 – Oct.22

Espertantina, a town in Brazil, celebrates May 9 as Orgasm Day. As much as I’d love to import this enlightened holiday to my home country of America, it might be difficult in the foreseeable future. Why? Because religious fundamentalists have been spreading their infectious mental disease, seducing people into mistrusting their bodies’ natural urges. Meanwhile, the advertising and entertainment industries try to sell us on the glamour of being in a chronic state of titillation without satisfaction. I’m calling on you Libras to do what you can to resist these cultural trends. The astrological omens say this is an auspicious time for you to seek out, cultivate, and honor your own orgasms.

PUZZLE pg. 21

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IF YOU DON’T TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THAT PARIS HILTON SHOULD BE DESPISED, HOW WILL THEY KNOW?

LIKES AND GRIPES

23

CALENDER CONTINUED FROM PG. 13

LET IT OUT

WED. MAY 10 ERIN SCOTTBERG Editor in chief GRIPES 1. Litter : Don’t be an asshole: clean up af ter yourself — it’s not that difficult to get to a trash can. 2 . Vib rating cell phones at inappropriate times: Vibrate is not silent. Don’t be an asshole and let your phone “brrrrr-brrrrr” in your bag for 45 seconds. It’s annoying and inconsiderate. What’s the point in knowing you’re receiving a call if you can’t even answer it? Surely you’re not that important. Or desperate. 3. Lack of the courtesy wave: The other day, I let someone into my lane when no one else would. I didn’t get a nod, a smile or a even a simple wave. Luckily, at the Undergrad Library a few hours later, my faith in humanity was renewed when a gentleman who was looking for parking at the same time I was gestured to me that it there were no open spots in the row I was about to turn into, saving me a trip. Again, don’t be an asshole. It ain’t cool. TODD SWISS Calendar editor LIKES 1 . S o ccer in t he rain: So c c er is one of the best sports in any type of weather, but when it’s raining, there is no competition. There is noth ing better than getting a group of your friends together and getting muddy while playing the most popular sport in the world. 2. Falafel sandwiches: I recently ordered one of these heavenly sandwiches from the Jerusalem Restaurant on Wright Street at the insistence of one of my roommates. So tasty ... and vegetarian friendly too. 3. “Elevator Love Letter” by Stars: Dare I say that this is the best indie track of the decade? Yes. It is a “Bizarre Love Triangle” for the new millennium and it is huge. NIKITA SOROKIN Designer GRIPES 1. The motherfucker w h o s to l e my su n glasses: Those sun glasses are from Hollywood, motherfucker. I’m gonna nail your ass. 2. People that look like they have too many teeth when they open their mouths: These people may have been pianos. The eye’s been actin’ up. 3. Jingling: I’m a jangle man.

sounds from the scene

BRITTANY BINDRIM Art director LIKES 1. Stephen Colbert’s tribute to George Bush at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner: B ush w asn’t smiling af ter Colber t urged the president to just ignore his approval ratings since they were based on reality and, “reality has a well-known liberal bias.” 2. Subversion: Industrial/EBM music and cheap drink specials. Now that the semester is coming to an end, I’ll actually be able to make it back out again! (Tuesdays 10 p.m.-2 a.m.) 3. Violets: They’re my favorite flower and they grow all over the place in May. ANNA STATHAM Music editor GRIPES 1. New Abercrombie Billboard on 5th and Green Streets: Instead of replacing the seminaked guy with someone actually wearing A&F clothing, advertising thought it would be better to replace him with three new semi-naked guys. [Not to totally discredit the company, it is possible that the belts may be A&F manufactured.] 2. Back-to-back finals: Why does it take three consecutive finals to constitute a conflict? I think two finals within two days is bad enough, let alone two finals in one day. 3. Kindergarten lies: When I was six, I had to do a project on what life might be like in the 21st century. My teacher actually encouraged us to draw pictures of robotic maids and flying cars. Here I am in 2006, full-blown 21st century ... where is my Rosie? DAN PETRELLA Copy editor LIKES 1. Diet Coke: It’s the greatest beverage ever. I declare it. It’s been declared. 2. Stephen Colbert: Go on youtube.com and watch his speech from the White House press corps dinner. Right now. 3. The Alma Mater: Maybe I’m a nerd. Or it maybe it has something to do with the fact that I’m leaving U of I very soon, but I still get goose bumps every time I put my arms around my friends and sing this song or hear the tune drifting through the air from the Altgeld bells.

Live Bands Irish Traditional Music Session Bentley’s Pub, 7pm, free Chambana Jackson’s Ribs-N-Tips, 8pm, cover Fuedin’ Hillbillys Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm, free Our Cardiac Conquest, Something For Sundown, 1090 Club, Scheflo Canopy Club, 9pm, $5 Soultro Joe’s Brewery, 10pm, cover Adam Wolfe, Mike Bray Tommy G’s, 10pm, free Concerts Illinois Superstate concert band festival Krannert Center 9am, cover

DJ DJ Stifler Highdive, 8pm, $5 Chef Ra Barfly, 10pm, free DJ Bozak Boltini, 10:30pm, free Dancing Tango Dancing Cowboy Monkey, 8-10:30pm, free Salsa Dancing Cowboy Monkey, 10:30pm, $3 Karaoke “G” Force Karaoke T&T Tavern, 7pm, free Liquid Courage Karaoke Geovantis, 10pm, free Family Fun “Toddler Time: Mother’s Day” Urbana Free Library, 10:30am, free

art & theater Project 66: An Exploration of Utopia Inspired by the Works of Ilya and Emilia Kabakov [Project 66 is both an installation and a website created by a group of students from the School of Art and Design, the Department of Computer Science, and other campus units.] Krannert Art Museum through July 30 Pour la Victoire: French Posters and Photographs of the Great War [Graphically charged, lushly colored lithographic posters from World War I vividly depict the place of women in the war effort, the need for personal sacrifice on the home front, and the position of French colonial subjects.] Krannert Art Museum through July 30 Designing Experiences: How Graphic and Industrial Design Shape Daily Life [Design is less about generating products than it is about creating experiences through products that satisfy functional, as well as spiritual, cultural, social, tribal, and emotional needs. This exhibition profiles everyday products and solutions to visual communication problems created by UIUC Graphic and Industrial Design Alumni, and includes information about the designers, the design process, and history of the products.] Krannert Art Museum through July 30 School of Art + Design: Bachelor of Fine Arts Graduate Exhibition [The work of over 100 BFA graduates in this 2nd annual exhibition displays a broad range of art and design studio practices that illustrate new and established technologies in material and virtual realms. Participating students specialize in crafts, graphic design, industrial design, painting, sculpture, and photography.] Krannert Art Museum from May 6-14 Opening Reception on May 6 from 5-7 p.m. “Dust Memories,” Art Works by Aaron Hughes [“Dust Memories,” art works by Aaron Hughes, is a series of drawings, paintings, and collages attempting to communicate the ambiguous and anxious moments of a deployment with the 1244th Transportation Company in support of Operation IraqiFreedom. This series of personal war images is Aaron Hughes’ effort to deconstruct the nostalgic war epic (which informs so much of how war is interpreted by mass media) in order to convey the over-

complex, monotonous anxieties of a personal war narrative.] IPRH through May 5 Emergence II [An exhibition featuring works from international women] Verde Gallery through May 20 “Moments of Grace” [“Moments of Grace” is a photographic exhibit by Chris Main comprised of 35 images that pay homage to the first half of the 20th century. The artist utilizes vintage objects from the Depression era to suggest a universal moment in time or human experience.] Pages For All Ages through May 14 Parkland College Fine Art Student Juried Exhibition [artwork from students in Photography, Painting, Drawing, Metals, Sculpture, ThreeDimensional Design, and Ceramics.] Parkland Art Gallery through May 6 “Through the Past Darkly” [Paintings by Richard Greenberg.] Cinema Gallery through May 27 Pippin [Pippin, a young prince searching for complete fulfillment, sets foot on the outside world. In his search, he valiantly decides to become a soldier. So, he joins his father’s campaign but he soon realizes that he thought, “There’d be more plumes.”] Station Theatre, May 4-7, 10-13 8 p.m., $15 The Rantoul Theatre Group: “Charlotte’s Web” [Joseph Robinette’s play version of “Charlotte’s Web” closely parallels author E. B. White’s book and the cartoon movie. John Arable’s daughter, Fern, pleads with her father to save the runt pig, “Wilbur.” When Wilbur grows too big he’s sold to Uncle Homer Zuckerman to keep on his farm. Wilbur is lonely and needs a friend. The barnyard animals educate Wilbur to the reality of his pending visit to the slaughterhouse. But, Charlotte, a kindly spider, befriends Wilbur and vows to save his life by making Wilbur so popular that no one would wish to make bacon and ham out of him! Wilbur learns that good friends are a blessing in life.] Grissom Hall Theatre, May 5-7, 12-14 8 p.m., Sunday performances at 2 p.m., $10, $7

INTRO | A ROUND TOWN | L ISTEN, HEAR | CU CALENDAR | STAGE, S CREEN &

IN

B ETWEEN | CLASSIFIEDS | THE STINGER

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IN

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3 F R E S H PAS TA 3 3 D AIL Y S PE CIAL S 3 3 G R E AT W IN E 3

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